In a typical home fire, families have two minutes or less to get out safely. Having a working smoke detector cuts the chance of dying in a home fire by nearly 50 percent.

The National Fire Protection Agency estimates that 93 percent of U.S. homes have at least one smoke detector. But, there are more homes with non-working smoke detectors or alarms than homes without them. When operating properly, smoke detectors can save lives, reduce injuries and decrease property damages.

"There are different types of detectors, but they all sense rising smoke and sound a piercing alarm," says Lois Smith, consumer and family economics educator with University of Illinois Extension. "Dual-detection alarms that have both ionization and photoelectric features provide the best coverage. Make sure hardwired detectors, which operate on household electrical current, have a rechargeable battery backup."

Battery operated smoke detectors should be tested once a month, and batteries should be replaced once a year. To help you remember to change the batteries, Smith suggests using a special day such as your birthday or the change to daylight savings time.

Smoke detectors should be placed on the ceiling, at least 4 inches from the nearest wall. Multi-level homes should have detectors on each floor.

The University of Illinois Extension fact sheet titled Smoke Detectors provides information on different types of detectors and how they work, features to look for, and maintenance requirements. For a copy, contact McLean County Extension office at309-663-8306 or view the Solution Series web page at http://www.solutions.uiuc.edu